Railway car



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Jan. 26, 1932. H.`M. PLAGER RAILWAY CAR Filed July 2l. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOZ? JUL 26, 1932- H.' M. PFLAGER n' 1,842,423

RAILWAY CAR Filed July 2l, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES een'. n

PATENT OFFICE HARRY M. PFLAGER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL STEEL CASTINGS CORPORATION, OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE RAILWAY CAR Application led J'uly 21, 1930. Serial No. 469,405.

My invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists in a novel railway car body and underframe structure.

The objects of my invention are to provide a car made of one piece of metal and preferably of one casting, thus eliminating the joints and rivets present in built up construction and thereby overcoming the rapid deterioration which occurs in the usual built up construction due to coaly dust, other dirt, and water getting` into the joints and causing rapid corrosion which eatsthe metal plates and rolled shapes, weakening the car structure and causing high maintenance expense due to the frequent renewing of such portions of the car and, at the same time, I desire to provide such a car structure with a center sill of I section between the bolsters, with double sills at each end for forming a draft pocket, the car floor forming an integral and substantial part of the sills. This sill structure absorbs the buffing and pulling shocks and helps to carry the load. The balance of the load is substantially carried by the side walls which form girders between the bolsters and are braced and held in position by the floor and by the bolsters and transoms and their extensions running to the top of the car sides. There are no side sills depending below the floor level. The cost and weight of such sills are eliminated and the clearance below the car floor is increased correspondingly.

My structure provides a combined body and nnderframe of light weight and flexible enough to take care of the weaving which is encountered in service on rough track and strong enough to carry the required loads and transmit the usual buling and pulling forces.

These and other detailed objects of my invention are attained in the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a gondola type freight car.

Figure 2 is in part a side elevation and in part a longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the car.

Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are vertical transverse sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure l.

Figure 9 is a horizontal longitudinal section taken on the line 9 9 of Figure 2.

The preferred embodiment of my invention comprises a one-piece casting forming the entire underframe and body. A horizontal member 1 forms the floor of the body and a top member of the underframe and extends from side to side and from end to end of the car. Vertical webs 2 and 3 extending transversely of the car depend from member l and, with suitable braces and connections, form spaced bolsters. Preferably, center plates 4 are formed integrally with the spaced webs 3 of each bolster. A vertical web 5 extending longitudinally of the car between the bolsters depends from member 1 and is provided with flanges 6 along its 70 lower edge. Elements 5 and 6 and the adjacent portion of member 1 comprise a single center sill between the bolsters having a substantially I-shaped cross section. Extending from the bolsters to the end sills 7 are verti- 75 cal webs 8 depending from member 1 and, with the latter and flanges 91 forming spaced draft sills for receiving any desired type of draft rigging. Preferably, draft lugs 9 and draft rigging spacing elements 10 are formed 30 integrally with the draft sills. The outer edges of member 1 merge with vertical walls 11 and 1Q forming the sides and ends of the car body with their lower portions terminating at the level of the floor. Preferably, these walls are provided with corrugations whereby the walls are strengthened and the formation of the walls is facilitated as such corrugations provide for shrinkage of the j metal while cooling in the mold without setting up any undue strains in the walls or at their juncture with other elements of the structure. These corrugations may take different forms as indicated, either extending horiz-ontally, vertically or diagonally or concentrically. or being combined in any of these forms. It will be understood that the horizontal member 1 may be similarly corrugated throughout all, or a substantial portion, of its area. A continuous flange 13 exmi tends around the upper edge of the car body for reinforcing the same.

Vertical webs 14 and 15 extend outwardly from the spaced webs 2 and 3, respectively, of the holsters and reinforce the horizontal member 1. These elements 14 and 15 are continued in the form of upright ribs 1G which extend along the side walls 11 and brace the same. Flanges 17 are formed on the lower edges of members 14 and extend along the same to a point just beyond the edge of and above the level of member 1. These flanges are spaced from the juncture of elements 1 and 11. Side bearings 24 are formed as a part of flanges 17.

Vertical webs 18 depend from member 1 and form transoms intermediate the holsters. The outer ends of these transoms are continued upwardly along the side walls 11 in the form of ribs 19 similarly to ribs 16. Transoms 18 include flanges 20 corresponding to flanges 17 on the bolster extensions 14.

Preferably, elements 1, 5, and 18 are provided with integral brackets 21 and 22 for mounting the air brake cylinder and reservoir, and the box-like end sills 7 have integral push pole pockets 23 formed therein.

The described structure provides a single rigid unit car body and underframe from end to end of the car strong enough to render the necessary service and, at the same time, of light weight and economical to manufacture and free from the action of corrosion and similar forces tending to disintegrate the usual built up structures.

Obviously the` type of sills and holsters and transom structure may he varied according to the ideas of the designer without departing from the spirit of my invention and I contemplate the exclusive use of such modifications as come within the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. A railway car integral structure comprising a floor portion, a center sill portion, a side wall portion extending upwardly from said floor portion, and transverse reinforcing members beneath said floor portion and extending outwardly and upwardly from said center sill portion to said side wall portion.

2. A railway car integral structure comprising a Hoor portion, a center sill portion, a side wallportion extending upwardly from said floor portion, and transverse reinforcing members extending outwardly from said center sill portion along said floor portion and extending beyond the edge of the latter and then upwardly to reinforce said wall portion.

3. In a railway car integral structure, a iioor, holsters, a center sill between said holsters, side walls extending upwardly from said floor and terminating at the floor level and having transverse connections with said said center sill whereby said side walls cooperate with said center sill to carry the entire! load between said holsters.

4. In a railway car integral structure, spaced holsters, a single center sill between said holsters, body side walls between said holsters with their lower portions terminating at the level of the top of said holsters and sill, said sill and walls comprising the sole vertically disposed webs extending longitudinally of the car between said holsters.

5. A railway car integral structure comprising holsters. a floor, a center sill below said floor and side walls extending wholly above said floor, said iioor, sill and walls cooperating to carry the entire car load between said holsters.

6. A railway car integral structure comprising holsters, a floor, a center sill below said floor and side walls extending wholly above said fioor, said floor, sill and walls cooperating to carry the entire car load between said holsters, there being vertical webs extending transversely of said floor and walls between said holsters for stiffening the floor and walls transversely of the car.

7. A railway car integral structure comprising holsters, a floor, a center sill helow said floor and side walls extending wholly above said Hoor, said floor, sill and walls cooperating to carry the entire car load between said holsters, there being vertical webs extending transversely of the car from said center sill to the tops of said side walls.

8. In a railway car integral structure, a continuous center sill, floor and side wall unit, and a reinforcement extending transversely of said unit and including a horizontal ange spaced from said unit.

9. In a railway car integral structure, a continuous center sill, floor and side wall unit, and a transverse reinforcement extending from said sill along said floor and wall and having a flange spaced from said fioor and wall and terminating near the level of the juncture of the same.

10. In a railway car integral structure, a floor, a bolster beneath the same, spaced longitudinal vertical webs forming draft sills beneath said floor on one side of said bolster and a single longitudinal vertical web forming a single center sill beneath said iioor on the other side of said holster.

11. In a railway car integral structure, a floor, a bolster beneath the same, spaced longitudinal vertical webs forming draft sills beneath said floor on one side of said bolster and a single longitudinal vertical weh forming a single center sill beneath said floor on the other side of said bolster, there being a center plate structure integral with said holster at the end of said center sill and hetween the corresponding ends of said draft sills.

12. In a railway car integral structure, a horizontally disposed web forming a car z IUD HAIL-V'Hl nul-muuu vlvv.

floor, s. vertical web depending from said floor along the longitudinal center line of the car, and lateral flanges on the lower edge of said web, said vertical web, lianges and a portion of said horizontal web forming a single I-shaped center sill for transmitting longitudinal forces applied to the car.

13. In a railway car integral structure, a floor, bolster elements beneath said lloor and including a Vertical web and a flange spaced from and below said Hoor, and side bearing elements formed as a. part of said flange.

14. In a railway car integral structure, a Hoor, bolster elements beneath said floor and comprising spaced vertical webs intermediate the ends of the bolster and single vertical webs at its end portions, a flange at the bottom of said Vertical webs extending the full length of said bolster, and side bearing elements formed as a part of said ange.

15. In a railway oar integral structure, a floor. side walls extending upwardly from said floor, bolster elements beneath said floor and comprising spaced vertical webs intermediate the ends of the bolster and single Vertical webs at its end portions, a flange at the bottom of said Vertical webs extending the full length of said bolster, and side hearing elements and a center plate element formed on the bottom of said bolster, said side bearing elements forming a part of said flange, and said single vertical webs continuing upwardly to the tops of said side walls.

16. In a railway vehicle underframe inte- Igral structure, a substantially horizontal web forming a floor, and a single center sill below said oor.

17. In a railway Vehicle underframe integral structure, a substantially horizontal web forming a floor, a pair of holsters, and a single fcenter sill between said holsters below said oor.

18. In a railway vehicle integral structure, a substantially horizontal web forming a floor, a pair of holsters, a single center sill between said holsters below said web, and spaced draft sills between said holsters and the ends of said structure below said web.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my signature this 15th day of July, 1930.

HARRY M. PFLAGER.

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